They stuck a copy of their complaints to the doors of five cathedrals.

The priests' actions mimic the fable that Luther nailed his 95 theses against the Catholic Church to the door of a chapel in Wittenberg, Germany, 500 years ago.

Luther's action marked the beginning of the Reformation.

Given the international commemorations marking the 500th anniversary of Luther's protest, the current protest aimed for maximum publicity.

The priests' complaints are encapsulated in the Southwark Declaration.

The declaration focuses on the priests' concerns that the Anglican Church is corrupt by allowing gay couples to marry.

The Southwark Declaration, which contains five statements, was first published in 2015.

It affirms the "supreme authority" of the scriptures and calls on Church leaders to uphold the doctrine that marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman.

Last week's complaints were accompanied by the following statement, which accuses the Church of "revisionism".

"The Church of England claims it has not changed its doctrine, but its practice on the ground has already changed: clergy are already adopting lifestyles which are not biblical and teaching that such lifestyles are holy in the sight of God.

"This revisionism is causing a crisis not only in Southwark Diocese but across the Church of England.

"It is weakening and destroying the Church as it has done in the United States and Canada.

"When the Church redefines sin and eliminates repentance, it can no longer offer the good news of eternal salvation from sin in Jesus; the Church no longer remains distinctly Christian."

Bishops have "a narrow window" until the next General Synod in February, it says, to "regain the confidence of Bible-believing Anglicans" and avoid "rupturing" the Anglican Communion.

In response, the Archbishop of Canterbury called for "unity in our diversity" during his sermon at the Reformation anniversary service at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday.

"Luther set the Gospel free, and as human beings we seek continually to imprison it behind ritual and authority — or to make it serve politics or causes.

"Will we be willing ourselves to be reformed again and always, setting aside our differences because we are caught up in the grace that is found through faith?"

Source

• Church Times
• Anglican Mainstream

image: The Diocese of Southwark

Zimmerman is a Sister of the Precious Blood, and a professor of liturgy from Dayton, Ohio.

Although the Catholic Church has been involved in a number of divisions over the millennia - including the Protestant Reformation - it has come a long way to "restoring unity among all Christians" over the past 50 years, Zimmerman says.

Restoring Christian unity was the Second Vatican Council's reason for distributing Unitatis redintegratio, its 1964 Decree on Ecumenism, she says, adding:

"Catholic participation at jubilee events would acknowledge the changes the Church has made since the Second Vatican Council".

Some of the work the church has done to bridge divisions in the past 50 years has resulted in changes to Catholic doctrine and worship, Zimmerman says.

The main aim of these changes was to achieve greater lay participation in the Catholic Church liturgy.

At the same time, long-held divisions were also able to close between Catholics and many Protestant churches as we acknowledge we share similar forms of worship

Zimmerman cites baptism as an example.

Many celebrate baptism with water and "the trinitarian formula, which says:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).

This means if a Protestant wants to become a Catholic (or vice versa) so long as they have been baptised according to this formula they need not be re-baptised.

Zimmerman also points out that some Protestant churches also believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (though they may express this differently from Catholics).

Many have also adopted their Eucharistic prayers from the Catholic liturgy.

Furthermore, changes brought about by Sacrosanctum Concilium (The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) mean Catholics and Protestants hear the same readings on Sundays.

Regardless of tenets of faith or doctrine, though, Zimmerman says "the primary purpose of prayer/worship is not to expound tenets of faith/doctrine but to give God glory, praise, and thanks".

Source:

• Crux
• Image: YouTube